Defense Industrial Base: Dod's Manufacturing Technology Program Needs Systematic Evaluation: Nsiad-92-74 (Paperback or Softback)

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether the Department of Defense (DOD) systematically tracks benefits from its Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program, focusing on the Office of the Secretary of Defense's (OSD) efforts to ensure that the: (1) ManTech Program is effectively implemented; and (2) benefits from ManTech projects are appropriately compiled and reported.
GAO found that: (1) the ManTech Program provides research and development to help develop advanced manufacturing processes, techniques, and equipment; (2) OSD oversees the ManTech Program and requires the services to supply detailed project information to its central database and to prepare annual reports; (3) although OSD acknowledges that the central database is incomplete and not used, it has done little to resolve the deficiencies; (4) although the services' annual reports complied with OSD requirements to describe ManTech projects, the reports did not address the extent to which the services carried out program goals, priorities, and planned approaches because OSD did not require this information; (5) OSD does not have a methodology for assessing the ManTech Program's impact or producing reliable estimates of the cost savings or financial benefits from individual ManTech projects; and (6) in response to a legislative mandate, OSD indicated that it would take a stronger role in planning, but so far has not established guidance that will enable it to evaluate program effectiveness.